Black American Youth And Racial Identity

In today's modern society there have been numerous stereotypes and standards built up for every culture, gender, and race. One of the biggest races impacted by these stereotypes is the African Americans. They've fought long and hard for freedom, independence, and equality. Yet they can't seem to catch a break with everyday cultural stereotypes. From the foods they eat, to the voice they talk in, and the clothes they wear. They are often labeled "hood" or "Ghetto" being an assumption they are from the slums if they do not act or represent they selves in a certain manner.

Thus, a fundamental goal when working with White counseling students is to assist in the promotion of a healthy sense of group identity within the White community. White counselors continue to fail to perceive themselves as members of a racial group (Ponterotto, 1988). Exploring one’s racial identity could assist in one’s ability to recognize racial issues, educate oneself on racial dynamics, and reduce false perceptions of racial

In the article, the author studied the connection between the racial identity of 165 African American college students with the inclusion of the variables of parental attachment and familial communalism. College students from the southern and eastern regions of the United States who grew up in two-parent homes with a higher median income than those of the average African American household were the population selected in for the study. There has a been a new emphases in understanding the development of individuals as it relates to the racial group that they identify with since the civil rights moment. Racial identity statuses have successfully been connected to predict the self-esteem of African American college students (Brown, 2013, p108-109). The aim of the study was to distinguish if using the Cross Model with two variables would produce more impactful results than those from previous research that used only one isolated variable. The article proposed that the method through which African American people develop racial attitudes and behaviors is through socialization. Social bonds are at the heart of African American culture. The African American community is built on the good of the group, not the well-being of the individual. Likewise, attachment relationships are important in predicting things such as adjustment, psychological well-being, and self-identity (Brown, 2013, p111). The author of the study recruited 165 African American college students from various

Furthermore, the disintegration of Blacks’ own beliefs and cultures are due to the lack of Black history in schools. The repeated exposure of Black history pressures schools to incorporate more material about black people in their libraries and classrooms in order to coincide with what is being taught. Black emphasis on its concepts eventually urges schools in “ reinforcing the concept that all cultures must be respected and appreciated for their cultural attributions to America as well as to World History”(Hale 269). This will provoke Blacks to have pride in their culture, something that has been diminishing over time. No matter how much a person endures to not conform with the ideal identity portrayed in communities and the media ,

The point of the story is to inform children to keep on stepping even though others will continually put you down and expect the worst from you. This study relates to what we know about the development of African American identity in children as a result of Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark’s doll studies (1939) used as critical testimony in Brown vs. Topeka, Board of Education in 1954. Many studies and theories have followed, including, Drs. Parham, Cross, and Tatum. All of these studies addressed racial identity development in their respective research. Racial identity development is a concept referred to as, “the process of defining for oneself the personal significance and social meaning of belonging to a particular racial group" (Tatum, 1997, p. 16). In addition, Cross' Nigrescence framework (Cross, 1971; Cross, Parham, & Helms, 1991), proves to be particularly useful and significantly relevant to the information presented in this article. The Nigrescence model provides a five stage progression of Black American racial identity formation. The fourth and fifth stages of the Nigrescence model are both Internalization stages and foster healing and positive racial identity. The process in stages four and five allow African Americans to become “anchored in a positive sense of racial identity and to perceive and transcend race proactively.” Ultimately, reaching one of these two stages can lead to the first step in the healing process, and the elimination of the transferring of cultural trauma through the folklore of African American tradition and

Tatum’s description of the formation of racial identity among children and young adults helps me understand why races self-segregate. She categorizes the steps of the psychological process by which individuals recognize their “place” in society as part of a racial group and seek identity within that racial group, often to the point of conforming to negative stereotypes. This reaffirms racial minorities’ sense of identity and community and the value of their culture even though it differs from “mainstream” (white, middle-class) American culture, or what Delpit would call the culture of power. On the other hand, self-segregation reinforces the notion that races are different and that race is a valid characteristic to use to distinguish between people.

Ethnic identity remains one of the most extensively studied topics in the social sciences. The book “Studying Ethnic Identity” provides insight into the dynamic process that goes into the formation of ethnic-racial identity by psychological researchers. Ethnic and racial identity is a subject that is important to study because it has been associated with positive well-being, psychological distress, and academic attitudes (Rivas-Drake, Syed, et al, 2014; Smith & Silva, 2011). Past research has tried to define ethnic identity as a link to one’s own ethnic group (e.g. Latino, African American) (Umana-Taylor et al., 2014). This definition has proven to have its limitations, since it it does not take into account within-group variability that might exist among individuals that feel marginalized from their own ethnic group. Early definitions have failed to acknowledge ethnic identity has a multifaceted and complex construct, which this book discusses. Although several studies on ethnic identify have broaden our understanding of outcomes variables after the formation process, there is still limited areas of ethnic identity to investigate.

For instance, as we’ve seen in Gregory E. Miller’s study we’ve seen that self-control and the affirmation of healthy behaviors does not completely protect from negative health outcomes. Minority children who expressed self-control but existed in constant exposure stress factors and unhealthy behaviors had poorer cardiovascular health. The article Coping with Racism: A Selective Review of the Literature and Theoretical and Methodological critique by Elizabeth Brondolo et. Al suggests a couple more coping strategies including the formation of an identity, social support, and confrontation and

Although many researchers utilized Roy’s model in their work, Shosha & Al kalaldeh (2012) state that the studies of Henderson et al, Waweru et al, and Wendler were dependent on the environmental stimuli defined by Roy’s model. A study was conducted by Henderson et al. to assess the coping mechanisms and sociodemographic variables utilized by African American

E. B. Du Bois as the phenomenon named “double consciousness” or “the psychological and sociological presence of ‘two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals’ within the lives of Black Americans who navigated the twoness of being ‘an American, [and] a Negro’” (Brooks 125). With this double consciousness, Black students can use their race as their “minor difference,” entering spaces where this trait is shared and cherished, giving them an automatic group to associate with and an identity as a “Black student” as opposed to just a “student;” in a place where being Black means being a minority these students are also able to successfully navigate situations with their dominants. To reject their blackness and settle for the identity of simply an “American” or in this case just a “student” would leave them without a singular identity, as this identity does not allow for acceptance in specialized social groups. For students in college, particularly those who are a type of minority, it is important to be able to identify yourself with others, as to do so allows sharing of personal experiences with those who understand you in a space where many may not. This fear of being unable to identify with any one group causes many to distinguish themselves from others on the racial basis for the sake of

Growing up in a country that defines who you are based on the color you your skin, growing up in a multicultural home can be challenging. I realize how lucky I was to grow up in a family that did not put limits on me and had a culture and belief system that was far older than this country’s mental slavery. I was lucky to grow up in a family that provided me with a strong sense of who I was and where I came from, for most in this country their culture identity is define by other. Although some would like to believe that race identities don’t contribute to conflict, the ideology of us against them is a driving force for wars, hate crimes, prejudices and conflict not just in this country but all around the world. I identify myself as a Black-woman

Although the nature of racism has changed over time , it is engrained in many spheres of activity. Thus , this chapter , like that of Czopp et al. It is critical because we need to more thoroughly understand the influence of racism and prejudice on mental health and well-being. Racism and prejudice have always included both ideological and institutional dimensions affecting multiple aspects of life , including employment , education , healthcare , and housing. Considerable evidence has revealed that multiple inequities attributable to racism have negative health consequences for people of color. Racism clearly affects individuals mental health and emotional well-being and thus should be concern for mental health professionals. Scholars have

Basing on the longitudinal association study that was conducted with regards to perception of racial discrimination and racial identity among the 129 young African adolescent youths of ages 14-18, it was found that at time 1, racial discrimination was negatively linked to the public as compared to time 2. These results seem to be differing from the theoretical frameworks signifying that recognition of discrimination is more when basing on the importance attached to the social groups having negative perception by the larger society.

In a study titled “Racial Socialization and Racial Identity: African American Parents’ Messages about Race as Precursors to Identity,” Enrique Neblett looked at the patterns of racial socialization in a sample of 358 African American adolescents and identified 3 patterns of socialization experiences, High Positive, Moderate Positive, and Low Frequency (Neblett 189). The study found that a large portion of children reported that their parents highly emphasized on racial pride as well as taught them about racial barriers. The remaining children provided information that not all parents convey messages about race to their children. This shows that some individuals agents of socialization play a large role in their understanding of their race. In the study, they also state that African Americans awareness of race makes it possible for them to grapple with the significance of being African American (Neblett 189). The children that were categorized as having High Positive or Moderate Positive experiences with socialization are going to be more apt to understand their socialized position in society. This is important because “a strong ethnic identity is associated with greater psychological well-being,” (Rohall 153). Therefore, children, especially children from minority groups, who are socialized to have a strong identity and can understand the significance of being a specific race, are more

Race and ethnicity permeate our everyday lives and are woven into our social fabric, in our criminal justice system, education and educational outcomes, housing, food accessibility, environmental causes, health care, and more. It is because of these conditions that my research interests are rooted in racial and ethnic experiences; I believe the pervasive natures of racism, racist hierarchies, and racial and ethnic privileges, are deserving of empirical study. More specifically, I am interested in the effects of racism on marginalized individuals’ personal development and life outcomes. Stereotype threat, for instance, has consequences for academic and career performance, interracial interactions can affect minority individuals’ psychological health, and racial stress has been linked to hypertension. My inspiration to earn a doctorate stems from these realities, which indicate those in the minority face serious disparities in life outcomes. A career in academia will allow me to systematically explore these themes, and give me the tools to improve the life outcomes of marginalized individuals. To this end, I am prepared to begin training at the graduate level.